Missing Button
by MoonbeamDancer
Summary: Tarrant and Alice visit the grave of their child; the White Queen watches and visits as well; receiving as gift from beyond the grave in the process.


Title: Missing Button

By MoonbeamDancer

Rating: G

E-Mail: Look on my profile.

Author's Notes- This started out as an AiW/X-MEN crossover in my head; after hanging around and waiting to be written, it just turned into AiW. Could be seen as a future fic in the Button series, but isn't necessary.

Queen Mirana quietly watched the two figures walk out of the grove of cherry trees. Their heads were down and she could only hear snatches of the conversation between the two, but she didn't need to hear their voices to know who they were, their clothing gave them away.

A pale blue dress and a singed top hat with a pink silky scarf wrapped around it. Alice and Tarrant, and both very somber and subdued. As well they should of been, considering they were walking away from a grave.

Of their daughter.

Mirana waited until the two were gone and approached the small tombstone herself, sitting down next to it. "Hello little one. I'm sorry it's been so long since our last visit." she said softly, tracing the letters that spelled out the child's name and dates of birth and death.

_Melinda Kingsleigh Hightopp_

_February 23, 1871 - December 15, 1871_

_Beloved Daughter of Alice and Tarrant, she will be missed._

Mirana laid down the two coins on the stone, in payment of the child's stay in the land of the dead, next to the small green top hat and flowers left by her parents. It was fast approaching her fifth birthday and the hat was a Hightopp family custom. As she picked up the hat to see it better, Mirana felt a flash of light and was pulled into a vision. It was a gift she told very few about, her ability to see, mostly she saw what could happen, sometimes it was visions of what should of happened.

_A small girl tugged on her mother's hand, she appeared to be around four or five and had strawberry blond hair that flew every which way, pale skin and bright green eyes. "Come on Mummy, we're going be late for the tea party! And then Thackery will throw our cups around and we won't get any."_

_She was dressed in a billowy white shirt and breeches, along with a pair of boots and a small wooden sword at her hip. Upon her head sat her favorite hat, a beat up brown leather tricorn. Her pirate hat. But her most favorite hat was her father's, even if it was too big. She tugged on Alice's hand again._

_"I'm coming Melinda, we won't be late." Alice followed her daughter as quickly as she could, her hand resting on her rounded belly. "We won't miss tea, you're father would never start it without us."_

_The two walked towards the long table that was set with a mishmash of teapots and cups, as Tarrant stood to greet them. He knelt to hug Melinda, picking her up off the ground. "Hello sweetheart, how are you and Mummy?" He kissed Alice as she came up._

_"We're fine, thank you." Alice replied._

_Tarrant set Melinda down and pulled a chair out for Alice, helping her sit._

_"Good." he said, kissing her._

_Melinda and Tarrant sat themselves and the three commenced with tea._

The queen gasped as she was thrown back into her own body, she stared at the marker without really seeing it, knowing in her heart that what she had seen was what ishould/i of happened, but hadn't. Touching the marble, the queen was shoved again into another vision.

_This time she could see Alice and Tarrant walking along the garden path, hands laced together, smiling and talking to each other. They came to Melinda's grave, setting down a bundle of flowers. The two were quiet for a few minutes when they turned at someone calling for them. A small child came running up to them, wearing a dark blue top hat and pulling their hands. It was a little boy with brown hair and hazel eyes._

_"It's teatime, you'll be late. Hi Melinda, want me to bring you some?" he rattled off quickly._

_"Johnathan, slow down." Alice laughed. "But yes, I'm sure you're sister would like that."_

_Johnathan smiled and his eyes seemed to glow in happiness._

_The three said their goodbyes to Melinda and joined the others for tea in the castle._

The queen inhaled quickly and grabbed the edge of the tombstone to steady herself as, once again, she was thrown back into her body. This was no vision of what should of been, but a vision of what would be. The queen sighed to herself and stood up. "Thank you Melinda. You're parents still miss you, but they won't forget."


End file.
